Young HR professionals are stepping into an important career path with plenty of potential. But while they may be helping other young professionals advance their careers and enjoy their jobs, they may be unsure about how to do the same for themselves.
Here are some important ideas and career tips for how HR professionals can advance their career while being truly effective in their position.
- Learn your business and its industry
You are not just a HR professional. You are part of a business, or some other organization which seeks to grow and have the best employees. How can you improve the organization if you do not know what it does, what is going in its industry, or who the people you help are?
Read magazines or periodicals about your industry, and look to become a true expert in the field who is aware of what is going on in the company. Furthermore, meet up with the regular workers and get to know their habits. Who works odd hours? How can you become more visible? And above all else, how can you help them do their jobs?
A good HR professional should always be listening and willing to lend a helping hand without having to be asked by workers. And by knowing what is happening within the company and the industry, you can offer better advice and become more respected.
- Learn about Changing HR Trends
HR is a constantly evolving field, whether it is a change in what workers want, how technology effects the workplace, or changes in corporate ethics and accountability. A HR professional who stays in front of these trends will show that he is dedicated to their craft and will be able to formulate plans to help the business adapt.
Forbes writer Josh Millet has listed a few basic trends going into 2018 which HR professionals should be aware of, but the only ways to learn are to either read or talk to professionals. Ask your superiors where they go or what they read to learn about ongoing trends what is happening in HR, and then pick up a magazine. A person’s education is only complete when they die.
- Learn New Skills
Learning new trends, such as the latest in kitchen design, as well as what is going on in the business is not enough. HR professionals have to constantly look to develop new skills so that they can continue to help others.
When we talk about new skills, we often think about learning how to use new technology or management techniques. While that is sometimes useful, new skills can comprise things such as improving your communication skills or becoming a strategic thinker. Look around the area for local classes and seminars which will make you a better worker, and you will show management both your new skills as well as your dedication towards self-improvement.
- Clean up your Language
You should already know that as a professional, you must look your best and dress appropriately every day. But I have witnessed plenty of young professionals, HR or otherwise, who dress like someone out of Mad Men and yet swear like a sailor and generally use incomprehensible language. Vulgar language is not only unprofessional, but can sometimes be used as evidence of a “hostile work environment” if a worker chooses to sue your business for harassment as the law firm Loeb & Loeb points out.
Stop using profanity, and also look to keep your language simple and comprehensible so that workers know exactly what you are telling them. Once again, listening to your coworkers is an important step to improve your language. As you get more comfortable with your firm, you will gradually pick up the language of your industry and become more accepted.
- Build Integrity and Trust
Human resources plays an important role, but many workers find them a nuisance at best and an outright threat to their positions at worst. When HR consultants with Talent Management and HR outright tells millennials entering the workplace to “never trust HR” and to be pleasantly surprised when we do help, that is a sign of how low our reputations can be.
This lack of trust happens because employees misunderstand what HR is about. HR is not some labor union which exists to protect the employees, but a conduit to make sure management and labor are all on the same page. Unfortunately, HR professionals do not disabuse labor of the former notion, only for labor to get a rude shock later.
HR professionals must be sincere and upfront with labor, both in trying to help them and in telling what we can and cannot do. Some people will inevitably be upset. But by doing a good job as well as being fair and consistent, you can steadily earn trust over time and advance.
